Forced air furnace humidifier



Oct. 14, 1969 G. COLEMAN ETAL 3,472,495

FORGED AIR FURNACE HUMIDIFIER Filed Feb. 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS GEORGE COLEMAN JAMES A SWMMER ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1969 G. COLEMAN ETAL 3,472,496

FORCED AIR FURNACE HUMIDIFIER Filed Feb. 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS GEORGE COLEMAN JAMES A.SNHMMER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,472,496 FORED AER FURNACE HUMIDIFIER George Coleman, Wilmette, and James A. Swimmer, Des Plaines, lll., assignors to Items Air King Corp., Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 524,159 Int. Cl. F24f 3/14 US. Cl. 261-32 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A forced air furnace humidifier having a truncated coneshaped evaporator member and having means for positively rotating said evaporator. The humidifier also includes means for cleaning the evaporator member and a casing construction whereby deposits removed from the evaporator may be temporarily stored.

This invention relates generally to air humidifiers and more particularly relates to air humidifiers for use in forced air heating systems.

In order to maintain a proper and comfortable percentage of humidity in the air during the winter months, it is frequently necessary to install air humidifiers into the heating system. For the forced air type heating systems, the air humidifiers normally comprise a rotating evaporator member with a portion thereof immersed in Water. Currents of hot air driven by the blower of the systems furnace, evaporate moisture from the evaporator member and eventually the moisture laden air is circulated throughout the area to be heated. However, prior air humidifiers of this general description, had many undesirable features which made their operation extremely inefiicient. For instance, due to the construction and shape of the evaporator member, the hot air driven from the furnace did not flow freely through the humidifier, but was often defiected back toward the furnace or to the side of the air duct. Moreover, the prior humidifiers would only utilize a small part of an air stream to evaporate moisture. This was especially evident for the cylinder shaped evaporator members placed in the pathway of a rapidly moving hot air stream. Most of the air stream either passed over the elongated cylinder body or entered at its front end and flowed out the back end thereof. Thus, primarily only the thin layers of the air stream passing on the outer and inner surfaces of the cylinder body became humidified. Since the cylinder body was not directly exposed to the en tire air stream, these humidifiers, consequently, did not evaporate moisture into the heating systems to the fullest of their capability.

Another objectionable feature of the prior humidifiers was the buildup of mineral residue on the evaporator member. This appreciably impaired the free flow of air through the humidifier and substantially reduced its effectiveness as an evaporating surface. Thus, it was frequently required to physically remove the humidifier from the heating system and thoroughly clean the evaporator member.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an air humidifier that efficiently and effectively humidifies air without interfering with its free flow.

It is another primary object to provide a humidifier that efficiently utilizes substantially the entire surface of a moisture laden evaporator member.

Still another object is to provide a humidifier having means that automatically removes mineral residue which tend to deposit on the evaporator member thereof.

A further object is to provide a humidifier having means for collecting the mineral residue removed from the evaporator member and at the same time preventing the residue from being redeposited thereon.

It is a primary feature of this invention to provide a cone-shaped evaporator member that efiiciently utilizes Ehe elongated tapering wall thereof as an evaporating surace.

A further feature is to afford a plurality of resilient fingers to automatically rub off mineral residue from a rotating evaporator member; thereby preventing the mineral residue from building up.

Still a further feature is to provide a water container comprising at least one section having a greater depth than the remaining part of the water container for receiving the removed mineral residue.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its mode of operation, assembly and construction, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved forced air furnace humidifier embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the humidifier mounted on a horizontally extending hot air duct at a position near the furnace;

FIG. 2-A illustrates the direction of air flow through the humidifier when mounted as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the humidifier mounted on a vertically extending hot air duct and having a flexible duct connecting the humidifier with the cold air return;

FIG. 3-A illustrates the direction of air flow when the humidifier is mounted vertically to the hot air duct in a similar manner as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the evaporating member in contact with the self-cleaning fingers;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line 55 in FIG. 6 and showing the water compartment of the humidifier having a pair of marginal reservoirs for collecting mineral residue;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the humidifier operatively positioned within an air duct and showing a deflector plate guiding the air flow into the cone-shaped evaporator member; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective exploded view of various disassembled parts.

Referring now to the various figures of the drawings and especially FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally an .improved humidifier for use with forced air heating systems. The humidifier 10 comprises an evaporator member 12 rotatably mounted within a substantially rectangular casing 14. In operation, a longitudinal portion of the evaporator member 12 is exposed to a stream of hot air from the furnace 15 (FIGS. 2, 2-A) of a forced air heating system, and another longitudinal portion thereof is immersed in water contained in the casing to continually replenish evaporated moisture.

Casing 14 includes a pair of side walls 18, a pair of end walls 20 and a bottom wall 22. A partition wall 24 (FIG. 7) divides the inside of the casing 14 into a water compartment 26 and a liquid tight power compartment 27 (FIG. 7). A float valve 28 is connected to the water input 29 to control the water level inside the water compartment 26. A water overflow for water output 30 is provided for attaching a hose (not shown) having a connection to a water drain, to remove water. Compartment 27 houses a motor 31 which rotatably drives the evaporator member 12.

The evaporator member 12 is a truncated cone having an enlarged diameter end 32 and a reduced diameter end 34. The ends 32, 34 are spaced apart by an elongated tapering curved wall 35. An elongated portion of the tapering wall 35 is immersed in liquid Whereas the remaining elongated portion acts as an evaporating surface. The evaporator member 12 is hollow and open at the enlarged diameter end 32. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, air entering the larger diameter end 32 must flow through the elongated tapering wall 35, and hence, the complete length of the evaporator member is fully utilized as an evaporating surface. The tapering wall 35 permits air to freely pass through, and further has the capability of removing and retaining large amounts of moisture from the water as the evaporator member rotates. To accomplish this, a nickel chrome steel mesh has been successfully used as a material for the tapering wall of the evaporator member.

The motor 31 is mounted to a mounting plate 36 (FIG. 7). A motor shaft 38 is positioned through aperture 40 of the mounting plate 36 and is connected at the back end thereof to the motor 31. As shown, the shaft 38 extends through the evaporator member 12 and is attached to the reduced diameter end 32 and to a cross bar 41 which spans the opening of the enlarged diameter end 32. Shaft 38 is received within groove 42 of partition 24 when the evaporator member 12 and motor 31 are opera tively positioned Within casing 14. Hence, upon the energizing of motor 31, the evaporator member rotates within the water compartment 26. Access to the inside of the power compartment is obtained by the removal of top plate 44 (-FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom wall 22 of the water compartment 26 is centrally grooved along the longitudinal length thereof, to provide a pair of marginal reservoirs 50 separated by a platform 54. The marginal reservoirs have a greater depth than the remaining portion of the water compartment 26 and function to collect minerals and other foreign matter which tend to settle to the bottom of the water compartment.

A flexible strip of material 59 is mounted at the bottom of the water compartment 26 to the platform 54. The strip of material 59 is slotted at spaced intervals along the entire length thereof to afford a plurality of independently acting flexible fingers 60. The evaporator member 12 is mounted within casing 14 to cause an initial bend in the fingers 60. In this manner the free ends of the finger resiliently contact the evaporator member and mb off the mineral residue deposited thereon due to the evaporation of moisture, as the evaporator member rotates. Since the fingers are sufliciently flexible, they do not inhibit rotation.

The mineral deposits rubbed off by the flexible fingers eventually settle into the marginal reservoirs 50. Since, as aforementioned, the marginal reservoirs 50 have a greater depth than the rest of the water compartment 26, the continual agitation of the water due to the rotation of the evaporator member 12 does not result in the redeposit of the mineral residue on the evaporator member.

Turning now to FIGS. 2, 2-A and 6, the humidifier is shown operatively mounted to a horizontally extending hot air duct 64 with a portion of the evaporator member 12 positioned directly in the path of a rapidly moving hot air stream.

When mounting the humidifier in this manner, a hanger bracket 65 (FIG. 7) is placed inside an opening in the air duct 64 and studs 68 extending from the hanger bracket pass through holes in the air duct to the outside. A pressure sensitive adhesive gasket 70 is adhesively attached to the lips 72 of the casing 14. The casing 14 is secured to the hot air duct 64 by tightening Wing nuts or the like (not shown) to the studs 68 which pass through the aligned openings of the lip 72 and gasket 70.

To efliciently and effectively humidify the air circulating throughout the forced air heating system, the humidifier 10 should be installed at a point whereby the hot air passes through at a high pressure. Hence, the installation should be made as close to the furnace 15 as possible. For air ducts which extend substantially above the top of the reduced diameter end 32, 0f the evaporator member 12, a deflector plate 74 as shown in FIG. 6 may be attached to the inside top of the air duct 64 and to extend down therefrom to guide the moving air into evaporator member 12. The cooperation of the deflector plate 74 and the evaporator member 12, enables the humidifier 10 to be successfully used with various sized ducts.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 3-A, the humidifier 10 is also adaptable to be mounted to a vertically extending hot air duct 64. For this arrangement, a suitable adaptor cover 78 is secured to the casing 14 and covers over the evaporator member 12. Adaptor cover 78 includes an opening on the top thereof which is circumscribed on the outside surface by an upward extending collar 80. A flexible tube 82 is connected at one end to collar 80 and at the other end thereof to the cold air return duct 84. In this installation, the evaporator member 12 is positioned outside the hot air duct 64, but in communication therewith via aligned openings 86, 86 respectively in the air duct 64 and in the adaptor cover 78. As illustrated in FIG. 3-A, hot air under pressure is bled from air duct 64 into the evaporator member 12. The air is humidified and forced into the flexible tube 82 and finally into the cold air return duct 84. The rapid movement of the air through the path just described, is caused by the suction normally created by the furnaces blower for pulling the cold air into the furnace 15.

From the foregoing description and drawings, it should be apparent that We have provided a device for use with forced air heating furnaces that operates more effectively and efliciently than prior such devices. The truncated cone evaporator member 12 forces an entire stream of hot air entering at the enlarged diameter end to pass through the curved tapering wall 35 thereof. Also, the cone-shaped evaporator member formed of a mesh material enables the evaporator member to retain large quantities of moisture and also permits the evaporating process to take place without interfering with the free flow of hot air.

Moreover, the plurality of resilient fingers 60 which automatically rub off mineral residue from the evaporator member, prevent the unwanted buildup of such minerals. The marginal reservoirs 50 collect the rubbed off mineral and the greater depth of the reservoirs, as compared with the rest of the water compartment, substantially reduces the possibility of the mineral being redeposited on the evaporator member.

It is believed that our invention, its mode of construction and assembly and novel method for using same, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A heating system fan-less humidifier comprising:

a forced air furnace having hot and cold air ducts;

a casing having a water compartment therein mounted in said hot air duct;

a substantially cone shaped evaporator member rotatably associated with said water compartment, the curved tapering wall of said evaporator member presenting as it rotates a first longitudinal portion above the surface of the water whereby said portion serves as an evaporating surface, and a second portion thereof immersed in said water to replenish the evaporated moisture; and

means positioned in said water compartment to contact said evaporator member and rub off mineral residue therefrom, said means comprising a plurality of independently acting separated flexible fingers having a flattened configuration with the outer ends thereof in contact with said tapering wall.

2. A heating system furnace humidifier as defined in claim 1 wherein an adaptor cover is provided to cover over said cone evaporator member, said adaptor cover when operatively positioned over said evaporator member having a first opening adjacent the enlarged diameter end of said cone evaporator member for receiving hot air to be humidified and a second opening adjacent the reduced diameter end thereof for receiving the humidified air.

3. A heating system furnace humidifier arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a deflector plate extends downward from the top wall of said air duct to direct and force heated air through the curved tapering wall of said evaporator member.

4. A heating system humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compartment includes at least one section having a greater depth than the rest of said compartment to serve as a mineral reservoir.

5. A heating system furnace humidifier as defined in claim 4, wherein means is included within said water compartment to collect said rubbed off mineral residue and substantially prevent the redeposit of the same on said evaporator member.

6. A heating system furnace humidifier as claimed in claim 4, wherein said evaporator member is a truncated cone; and

said flexible fingers are bent to cause said outer ends to resiliently contact the said tapering wall of said evaporator member.

7. A forced air furnace humidifier comprising:

a casing having a compartment for water;

a substantially cone shaped evaporator member rotatably associated with said water compartment, the curved tapering wall of said cone evaporator member presenting as it rotates a first longitudinal portion above said water to act as an evaporating surface and a second longitudinal portion thereof immersed within said water to replenish evaporated moisture;

means contacting said evaporator member for rubbing 01f mineral residue therefrom; said means including a plurality of flexible fingers with the outer ends thereof in contact with said tapering wall;

the bottom of said casing being grooved to afford a pair of marginal reservoirs with an upper platform elevated above said reservoirs and positioned therebetween, said plurality of flexible fingers being mounted on said platform and the mineral deposits rubbed off by said fingers flowing into at least one of said marginal reservoirs.

8. A forced air furnace humidifier comprising:

a casing having a compartment for water;

a substantially cone shaped evaporator member rotatably associated with said water compartment, the curved tapering wall of said cone evaporator member presenting as it rotates a first longitudinal portion above said liquid to act as an evaporating surface and a second longitudinal portion thereof immersed within said water to replenish evaporated moisture;

means mounted in said water compartment to contact said evaporator member thereby keeping the same free of mineral deposits, said means comprising;

a strip of flexible material slotted at spaced intervals to alford a plurality of independently acting flexible fingers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,616,545 2/ 1927 Perkins 261-91 2,211,812 8/1940 Colbert -290 2,493,849 1/ 1950 Bahnson. 3,334,877 8/1967 Payne. 2,035,628 3/ 1936 Whitmer et a1. 2,910,279 10/1959 Wood 261-92 X 3,105,860 10/1963 Dunn. 3,171,401 3/ 1965 McDulfee. 3,189,328 6/1965 I-Iotchkiss et al. 261-92 X 3,352,297 11/ 1967 Martin et al 261-92 X 1,302,281 4/1919 Bates 261-92 FOREIGN PATENTS 850,106 9/1939 France.

TIM R. MILES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 126-113 

